Making some changes...

I had a very weird and painful experience last night.

I was due to go out for dinner with EA and my very good friend from high school, B. I decided to go home first rather than hang around in the city so that I could fit in my run. I had been sore all day, shin splints and just a bit of muscle soreness, but thought I'd be OK to go.

I wasted so much time on my computer and deciding what I would actually do for exercise (i.e. walk up hill for 20 minutes or do my usual 5km run) that I ended up running out of time and I had no choice - I'd just go hard for a while and get some exercise in.

After first having a minor flip out because the garage had leaked and the treadmill had some water on it (all OK though) I jumped on, walked for a minute at 6km/hr and then started running at 10km/hr. I got until a bit over a kilometre and then started to walk. My legs were very sore, and soon it became so painful that I had to stop. The pain was symmetrical - the same in both legs - and it just hurt so much that I was crying.

After turning off the lights in the garage (at the same time blacking out our house - stupid electricity) I went inside, worried for a few minutes, swore a bit on twitter and then jumped in the shower. I thought I had either ripped my muscles, given myself stress fractures or was cramping. I figured a cramp couldn't last that long, and the remaining options weren't particularly appealing to me.

As it turns out, though, that hot shower really helped. When I got out and finished getting dressed I realised that my legs felt fine. So it was either a ridiculous lactic acid buildup from smashing my muscles with no warm up, or I actually did have cramps. Any ideas, anyone?

After dinner last night and again this morning I spent some time researching possible causes for my sore legs. I know that I have shin splints. That is without a doubt. I also know that shin splints are caused by doing too much too soon in a new exercise regime and from wearing the wrong footwear. Now, my sneakers aren't the worst around - they are Puma and cost about $80 - but they are cross trainers, not running shoes. If I want to keep this up and not do myself enough damage that I have to stop my running altogether, then I need to start doing things properly.

1. I will start warming up, and also warming down. Warming down is just as important, if not more, and I need to stop being lazy (which is the only reason why I don't do it now) and take care of my poor little muscles. Isn't it funny that I'm lazy about going for a 5km run. Ha.
2. I have bought a new pair of shoes (above). They are the Brooks Vapor 9 and are suited to my foot type and feel soooo good. You don't realise how bad your shoes are until you try on a good quality pair. I didn't worry about the price, though I did get a good deal from the sales assistant when I said they were a little out of my range. I tried on more expensive pairs and cheaper pairs and these were by far the best.
3. I will see a physio - not until next Saturday because I can't get in before then, but I will have things checked out just to make sure.

Someone asked me on twitter last night (hi AH) why I'm running, when I could use an elliptical to raise my heart rate with little or no impact. That's right, and I intend on using my sister's when she buys it, however I want to run because I'd like to run outside eventually, and set goals for myself in fun runs, etc. I like the feeling of moving somewhere quickly. I did athletics in high school at the 400m was my favourite event - fast enough that you get there quickly, but not a full sprint. 

I'm now reminded though that I do in fact have a wind trainer to put my bike on, so I can still do cardio if my legs are too sore for the treadmill.

If you have any suggestions for me, I'd love to hear them. I simply don't want to stop at this point - I'm so frustrated with trying to shift this weight, and while I know that diet is the main factor affecting weight loss, I feel that this exercise is really, really good for me, both physically and mentally.